


Only One King

by Deviant_Donghun



Series: Birthday drabbles and one shots [4]
Category: A.C.E (Beat Interactive Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Regency, Cinderella Elements, F/M, King Sehyoon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-15
Updated: 2019-05-15
Packaged: 2020-03-05 23:36:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18839086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deviant_Donghun/pseuds/Deviant_Donghun
Summary: A little birthday one shot for our King Wow. A Cinderella story that is a bit more sensible. (Yes, it is in second person but it was the best I could do at the moment.)





	Only One King

Sehyoon stalked through the halls, his robe dragging behind him. Throwing open the doors to the throne room, he walked in to see some of his most trusted advisors clustered to the side of the throne. "Give me the news." Sehyoon said as he took a seat on the throne.

"Well, Your Majesty, the Renegrade province has declared their intent to declare war on you. The dowager queen is also demanding that you take a wife in order to continue ruling. She says that the kingdom has never been without a queen nor king in it's entire history."

"Is there anything we can do about that? Is there a law that says I must take a wife or is it my mother's want of grandchildren?"

"There is a law that states we cannot have only one ruling monarch. We must have two. Thus, a king must take a queen or a queen must take a king. If this condition is not met or, at the very least, in motion by the end of the third year of ruling, the current monarch is to be dethroned and the next in line must take their place."

"Very well. I shall take a bride as soon as we have dealt with the Renegrade province. What is their intent? Are they trying to part from the kingdom and become their own, or are they wanting to dethrone me?"

"They are trying to dethrone you. Also, I would like to inform you that you only have five months left in your third year ruling."

Sehyoon nodded. "Then why," his voice started out quiet but grew in volume with each word, "was I only informed of this now!" He pounded a fist. "If the dowager queen has been pushing this for a year now, why only inform me of this now?! This is something that should have been brought to my attention sooner!"

"We were going to tell you, my king, honestly. I had planned to say something at the beginning of this year but first you had the grain trades, then the water shortage, then the-"

"I don't need excuses!" He almost pounded his fist again but instead ran his fingers through his hair, holding his crown loosely in the other hand. He heaved a heavy sigh as he tried to calm down. "Are there any parameters for the bride?"

"Your Majesty?"

"Does she have to be local? Does she have to be a foreign princess? Does she have to be a foreign commoner? Are there no requirements besides her being female?"

"Oh, um." The adviser quickly scanned a scroll he held. "'The chosen queen has to be of good lineage, of fair visage, and must originate from within the kingdom.'"

Sehyoon nodded again. "Set up a ball. Have it be for a week from tomorrow. Invite every eligible woman from Renegrade and enough men to balance out the crowd. We shall try to kill two birds with one stone by attempting to appease the province while finding a bride. Do not forget to invite the ruling elders of

Renegrade and the governor. This shall be peace talks as well as an engagement ball."

The advisers bowed and retreated, scurrying out of the room. Sehyoon leaned back against the throne, rubbing at the bridge of his nose as he attempted to stave off the headache he could feel coming on.

⏳⏳⏳

You roamed the halls of your home, wishing you could be outside in the garden in that moment instead of stuck inside on account of the rain. Looking out the window, you saw what looked to be a horse and rider aproaching the estate gates. Hoping it was your older brother home at last, you picked up your skirts and rusher down the stairs, uncaring that your mother would have scolded you if she had seen. You beat the servants to the door and heaved it open, throwing your shoulders back and putting your weight into it. Standing there, one hand raised to knock, was not your brother. Rather, it was simply a messenger with the day's mail. Sighing in disappointed, you shot a sullen look at the rain still pounding down, took the mail and thanked the man before closing the door. 

You leaned against the heavy piece of solid wood as you looked through the plethora of letters. Some were directed to your mother, some to your brothers, one to the whole household, and one to you. Intrigued by the one to the house, you moved away from the door and sank into a large armchair in the sitting room off of the entrance hall. You opened the letter carefully, recognising the royal seal of King Sehyoon. 

The letter told of a ball being held in four days, inviting you and your brothers, emphasise on your oldest brother, Dean, a member of the province judicial counsel. You smiled in excitement before going to find your mother, who turned out to be in her private sitting room. You knocked on the doorpost, peeking your head into the room. "Mother? May I come in?"

Your mother looked up from the task in her hands. "(Y\N)! Yes, of course you can." She held out one hand and you came in, sitting by her side.  
Handing her the letter, you said, "It's a missive straight from the courts. We would have to leave tomorrow to get there in time."

She nodded, concuring with you as she read it over. "Yes, we would. We would also have to inform your brother now, unless he already has an invitation."

"He's on the ruling board. I'm quite certain he knows. Do you think we should send a missive just in case?"You talked with her for a while longer, discussing what dress you were going to wear. After deciding, you instructed the servants to prepare the carriage and pack clothes. Your younger brother, Samuel, decided to go with Dean so they would arrive a few hours after you and your mother.

⏳⏳⏳

Sehyoon mingled amongst his guests, talking to the ladies and making sure all of the members of the ruling board were there. Eventually, one of his advisers told him that all the guests had arrived. Sehyoon climbed the steps to the dais, raising his glass and making the crowd go quiet. "Welcome! I have gathered you all here today for two reasons. The first, is to end the conflicts with your province and see if I can put a stop to the revolt. The second, is to find a bride from among the ladies within this room."

The crowd cheered at the mention of peace talks but grew quiet at his speaking of a bride. Many of the council members moved forward in the crowd, most likely to be the first to talk to him. Sehyoon sighed, already knowing this was going to be a long night. And it was, he spoke briefly with each council member but told them the real meeting would be tomorrow. After that, he began dancing once with each maiden, making sure the dance was slow enough they could talk as they danced. He asked each one the same questions, each question designed to reveal a piece of her character andsee if she was a suitable queen.

There were many lovely candidates, both for the beauty and for the brains but there was one that, at the end of the night, stood out to him. So, when he called the ending of the ball, he vowed to himself to talk more to her tomorrow, after the council meeting.

⏳⏳⏳

You had danced with so many people and were so dead on your feet, you almost cheered when the event was drawn to a close. You dragged yourself to the room you were given, almost ignoring the knock on the door after it was closed. Opening it back up, a footman was standing there, a note in his hand. He handed it to her, bowed, and left.

Opening it up, the note said to go the flower garden, a maid will show you the way, at noon tomorrow. Nodding, you put the note on the bedside table and got ready for bed.

The next day, you decided to go early and just wandered around the gardens for most of the morning. You lost track of the time so were startled when you heard aproaching footsteps. Turning around, you saw the king walking toward you. Thinkin he was just trying to get by, you moved off to the side of the path, bowing your head in deference. 

He stopped in front of you. "For the future queen you are quite submissive."

Your head shot up as a gasp came out of your mouth. "Future queen?!"

He chuckled. "If you'll have me."

"I could never say no to you, my king."

"Good. Then we have much to discuss. When would you like the wedding to be? Now that I have my bride-to-be, there's no need for a rush."

"May I ask one question, Your Highness?"

"Only if you call me Sehyoon." As he spoke he took her hand and placed it in the crook of his arm, beginning to stroll down the path.

"Why me? Out of all of the women there, why pick me?"

He laughed. "The answer is simple. You were the best choice. There are the material things such as you're pretty and confident but still know when to show deference. Then there are the mental things such as how smart you are. But over all of that, I like you're personality. I can tell that there is more to you than meets the eye and I think it would be nice to spend my life with someone who is a mystery that I can unravel. I hope you feel the same or at least are alright with me."

"To be frank, you have intrigued me as well. I only got glimpses of your true personality throughout the night when you would let your guard down for a few seconds and I think it would be nice to get to know the real King Sehyoon. So, yes, I am more than alright with you. I would be honored to be your queen."

You continued talking with him the whole afternoon, getting to know him as well as planning the wedding. He invited you to the evening meal with the council members and you sat between him and Dean, just listening to the conversations going on. Afterwards, Sehyoon asked what you thought about the discussion and you gave your honest opinion.

⌛⌛⌛

You two were married a month later, just long enough to get to know each other and to plan a large wedding. You lived out your lives in relative peace, learning and loving one another. Anyone who was stupid enough to try to take over the kingdom was quickly subdued. You ruled as Sehyoon's equal, having the full authority that comes with being queen. You gave him two beautiful daughters and one dashing son who took up the crown after his father. It may not have been completely peaceful, in the kingdom or even in the royal family occasionally, but it was happy and it was home and you were content.


End file.
